SUCCESSFUL STORY IN EA SUP DISTRICT, DAK LAK PROVINCE

I am Nong Thi Thien, born in 1966 at Duc Long, Hoa An, Cao Bang. I have lived in Tay ethnic community and have the permanent residence at Hamlet 13, Eale commune, Ea sup district, Dak Lak province.

Our family has 5 members, including my husband , I and 3 children. We moved from Cao Bang province to Ea sup district, Dak Lak province to improve our life in 1999.

We started a new life here with no assets and also no support from people in the area who are also poor.  We met with so many difficulties, did not have enough food and lived in a poor-conditioned hut. My husband’s health is not very good. We did not have money for investment and production thus had to work for other villagers and went into the forest to find firewood. Therefore I had to do my best to feed the family but sometimes I felt so hopeless and exhausted.

In 2003 under the concern of the local authorities, the Farmers’ Association and VBSP’s Hoa An transaction office, I were enabled to get the loan of 5 million dongs. I used that amount to buy a mother cow and a baby cow.

I was selected by the Commune Farmers’ Association to attend the training course on science and technology application in agriculture. One year later the mother cow bore two baby cows and I sold them to get money for production of rice, maize, and cashew. Our annual income comes from 5 tons of rice, 1 ton of cashew and maize and various types of bean. Our herd of cows is increasing.

In 2005, I was eligible to get another loan of 4 million dongs under the lending programme for Safe Water and Rural Sanitation. I invested that amount to drill a well for safe water, from then on we do not have to use the unpurified water from the springs.

We have left poverty since 2007, our children all have gone to school and my house has been repaired. We now have a herd of 15 cows, 10 pigs and 50 chickens. I fully repaid the principal and the interest to VBSP.

Our lives have been improved thanks to the concern  the Government and the socio-political organizations, especially VBSP. On behalf of my family, would like to express our bottom-heart thanks to them.